The Seven Pointed Star – Revisited

The Seven Pointed Star and the Seven Paths was explored in an earlier article.

Meditation on this symbol has formed part of my reflections over the last few months and I’d like to share some further thoughts – maybe none of them original, but all of them with relevance to my learning.

The layout of the star above suggests that we can move along the pathways defined by days of the week.

So if we start on SUN(day) we can move towards MOON(day) and so on… the pattern of creation of the lines of connection this go from…

Sun to Moon

Moon – Mars

Mars – Mercury

Mercury – Jupiter

Jupiter – Venus

Venus – Saturn

Saturn – Sun

Some basic astrology allows us to derive keywords for each of the planets

Sun – I integrate – self, will, energy, power

Moon – I react – dream, emotion, imagination

Mars – I assert – passion, drive, lust, express will

Mercury – I communicate – intellect, mind, inform

Jupiter – I expand – spiritual and intellectual exploration

Venus – I harmonise – feelings, emotions, love, social attitudes

Saturn – I control – structure, limit, discipline

Sun – I integrate – self, will, energy, power

In terms of self learning, acquiring knowledge and experience on the path towards wisdom we can find a pathway from any point of our lives within the elven star.

I seek to manifest my will (SUN) so I use my imagination to dream of possible courses of actions (MOON).

I assert my will and considered course of action (MARS) and in doing so communicate my ideas to myself and others (MERCURY)

In doing so I explore and expand my awareness (JUPITER) and make changes by bringing my feelings and emotions into balance (VENUS).

I accept the need to plan and structure in order to achieve (SATURN)

I integrate the changes into myself (SUN)

Another way to consider these paths would be…

I take CONSCIOUS action (Sun) and recognise that I am being driven by UN CONSCIOUS energy (Moon).

I direct my actions (MARS) and communicate myself, my desires, my thoughts to the world (Mercury).

Speaking as a transpersonal therapist these seven stages of change and development provide an interesting framework for discussion, exploration and movement in personal coaching work.

In the Gnostic Gospels of Didymos Judas Thomas, Jesus is quoted as saying,

“If those who lead say to you,’see, the kingdom is in the sky.’ then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, ‘It is in the sea,’ then the fish will precede you. Rather, the kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, you will then become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who is that poverty.”

(The Gnostic Gospel of Thomas : The Nag Hamadi Library)

Meditation on symbols, especially complex symbols with layers of meaning and subtlety, is about self-discovery and in self-discovery we can recognise any elements of self-sabotage..

So that …

The Sun – Moon path can be seen as the ‘battle’ between the conscious and the unconscious and the other planets could be taken, in negative aspect, to identify patterns of limiting self-talk…

Reflections on the Seven Pointed Star

This particular image has a long and varied history within the annuls of magick.

A Star with Seven Points – a Septagram as opposed to the familiar Pentagram.

The number seven itself has long had ‘mystical’ connotations. The seventh-son of a seventh son and of course The Seventh Day is the day following creative actions which created the cosmos.

Nachmanides (a 12th century Spanish Occultist) explores the number 7 in kabbalistic terms.

Seven is the number of the natural world. There are 7 days in the week, 7 notes on the musical scale and 7 directions (left, right, up, down, forward, back and center). “Seven” – represented by the 7 days of Sukkot, is the world of nature whilst “Eight“, represented by Shemini Atzeret, is that which is beyond nature.
There are seven aspects of physicality – Height , Width, Depth , Top and bottom (limits height) , Front and back (limits width), Left and right (limits depth)
and seven which connects the previous six. Seven then is the final number in a series which represents the physical/material world.

Pythagoras, a ‘numbers geek’ if ever there was one, believed that numbers were ‘sacred’ and that to understand the universe all we needed to do was to understand the numbers which represented it. Many Cosmologists and Mathematicians of today seem to have a similar attitude.

In classical times there were seven planets, which, according to Pythagoras, generated the ‘music of the spheres’. It is easy to see how notions of seven planes of existence developed, We could find ourselves in Seventh Heaven, if we avoided the Seven Deadly Sins and adhered to the Seven ‘vital’ Virtues, whilst aligning our Seven Chakra centres to the energies of the Seven Heavenly bodies which influenced life on this planet.

Apologies if that sounded a little flippant, it wasn’t really meant to.

The Kabbalistic Text Sefer Yetzira highlights the number seven and its multiples in the creation story of Bereshit (Genesis):

35 times God (Elohim) is found.
7 times “On the Earth (Hebrew only)” is found.
21 times “Earth, earth, or land” are found.
7 times “heaven(s), sky (excluding “heavenly sky”)” are found.
7 times “Good” is found.
7 times “Water(s) (beneath the heavens)” are found.
7 times “flying, fly, or birds” are found.
7 times “crawls, walks, land animals” are found.
14 times “day or days” are found.

Rabbi Dr. Hillel ben David on his website (The Significance of the Number 7) presents 49 ‘sacred’ reasons for the number 7 to be important and its not without significance that 49 is 7 x 7!

Make of that what you will, but it is all very interesting.

The Seven Pointed star could be seen as a representation of synthesis as it brings together the four directions and the three worlds. (see earlier thoughts on The Four Directions and The Triads). It is in this guise that perhaps much of the recent neo-pagan, reconstructionist magicks apply. In Kabbalistic terms Netzach is the seventh Sefiroth – it is “endurance,” the fortitude, and patience to follow through on your passions.

IThis star is also known as the Feary or Elven Star

Seven Pointed Stars, called “Faerie or Elven Stars” represent a gift from Faerie to humans to bridge the understanding between the Mortal human realm and that of Faerieland. – or so claim those versed in Faerie Lore (this by the way is a subject to which I am sure we will return). However, for now let’s look at what else is said ..

The 7 pointed star is known as a gateway symbol, a Gate or entrance between our world and that of Faery, the Otherworld. Each point on the star represents a gateway or path of the Higher Self to prepare one for entrance into Faery.

Power, Personal Will, Determination, Prosperity, Justice, the Gate.

Unconditional Love, Wisdom, Growth, Friendship, Healing.

Knowledge, Intelligence, Creativity, Sexuality, Awakening.

Harmony, Tranquility, Blessings, Love.

Powers of Mind and Science, Balance, Dexterity.

Devotion, Honesty, justice, Healing.

Magick, Success, the Gaian Hypothesis.

There is little in this ‘pathway’ that I would disagree with or challenge since each of the ‘steps’ are worthy of study, practice and attainment. Indeed the Second Age of the Reformed Druid (RDG) have adopted this has their symbol for 2nd degree practitioners of Druidry. They list each of the points as representing the seven attributes of a Druid…

Wisdom

Compasion

Liberal

Abundance

Non-Conformity

Learning

Idealist

Again attributes which are worth of our attention and aspiration.

How we explore these values and attitudes as we walk upon the Earth is the spiritual quest.